Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents a demanding workload that scales steeply with resolution. The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a dataset that clearly reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at 1080p. The measured results show a classic curve: performance is excellent at 1920x1080, remains playable at 2560x1440 with adjusted settings, and becomes heavily constrained at 3840x2160, where only the lowest preset approaches a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about component balance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 160 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset, the average falls to 107 FPS, a reduction of 53 FPS (approximately 33%). At 3840x2160, the Low preset average drops further to 61 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, a hallmark of GPU-bound performance.

The pattern repeats across all settings presets. With High settings, the average goes from 97 FPS at 1080p, to 65 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 37 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 68 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and only 26 FPS at 4K. The 26 FPS result at 4K Ultra is below the threshold for comfortable playability, suggesting that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest fidelity at that resolution.

The data implies that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.10 GHz and 14 cores are sufficient to feed the GPU, allowing frame rates to exceed 100 FPS on lower presets. However, as resolution increases, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the constraint. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is 35 FPS (61 vs 26), which is a wider margin than at 1080p (92 FPS, 160 vs 68). This widening gap underscores that the GPU’s workload is the dominant factor at 4K, making the choice of settings far more critical at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. Its memory configuration of 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications align with the measured results: the GPU sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct -0.5), indicating that it performs comparably to those parts.

In Evolve, the GPU’s role is decisive at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium preset yields an average of 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 55, showing that the GPU can handle moderate settings at 4K, but with notable frame time variance. The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS suggests the GPU is fully saturated, as the game’s effects and texture loads exceed what the 8 GB frame buffer can efficiently manage. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is the VRAM capacity and bandwidth that become limiting factors when pushing 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s performance in benchmarks like Passmark G3D (score 16462) and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (score 2011) provides context for its gaming capabilities. The 3DMark result is notably lower than the average, suggesting that the card is better suited for older DirectX 11 titles like Evolve, which relies on less demanding rendering techniques than modern DX12 benchmarks. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 130 is higher than the DirectX 12 score of 61, further supporting that this GPU excels in legacy APIs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2025 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all system configurations, which is consistent with the GPU being an older, end-of-life product (released in 2019) paired with a newer CPU (released in 2025). The ranking suggests that while the CPU is a high performer (90th percentile of all CPUs), the GPU’s 62nd percentile standing drags the overall combo down in a game that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

The CPU alone benchmarks strongly, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (deltaPct -0.5) and the Intel Core i5-14600K (deltaPct 0.8), showing that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive with top-tier mainstream processors. However, this CPU strength does not translate to a high combo rank because Evolve’s performance ceiling at 4K is set by the RTX 2060 SUPER. The data implies that this combo would rank significantly higher in a CPU-bound title or at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

The rank of 2025 out of 2872 means that roughly 70% of tested combos perform better in Evolve. This is not surprising given that many combos likely feature more recent GPUs with higher VRAM capacities and faster memory bandwidth. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but it is a limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops on higher presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 60 FPS target at 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 97 FPS, leaving headroom for occasional dips. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 124 FPS with a minimum of 106, making it a strong choice for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors. The Low preset at 160 FPS is the best for maximum frame rates, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth it for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, with an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 65 FPS is playable but leaves less margin for error, while the Low preset at 107 FPS is excellent for those who prioritize smoothness over visuals. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is borderline, and users should avoid it unless they are willing to accept sub-60 FPS performance.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 61 FPS. The Medium preset at 47 FPS may be acceptable for some, but the minimum of 40 FPS suggests it will feel inconsistent. High (37 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are not recommended for 4K gaming. The data suggests that users with 4K displays should either stick to Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with averages provided for all, and min/max values only for Medium presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 160 FPS, Medium averages 124 FPS (min 106, max 143), High averages 97 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with each step up in quality costing roughly 20-30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 107 FPS, Medium at 83 FPS (min 71, max 96), High at 65 FPS, and Ultra at 45 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p (92 FPS), indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 71-96 FPS shows a 25 FPS variance, which is moderate and suggests some scenes are more demanding than others.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 61 FPS, Medium at 47 FPS (min 40, max 55), High at 37 FPS, and Ultra at 26 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 40-55 FPS is tighter than at 1440p, but the average is below the 60 FPS target. The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS is the lowest measured value across the entire dataset, confirming that this combo is not suited for 4K Ultra gaming in Evolve.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 97, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 83 FPS with a minimum of 71, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance for this resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 61. Higher presets at 4K produce averages below 50 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a deltaPct of -0.4 compared to the RTX 3060 Mobile, meaning they perform nearly identically in average benchmark scores.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as shown by the steep FPS drops with increasing resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 40 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmarks are strong: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648 place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has a deltaPct of 0.8, indicating the Ultra 5 245 is slightly ahead in average benchmark scores.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s high single-thread performance allows the GPU to reach 160 FPS on Low settings, suggesting that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The Passmark single-thread score of 4394 reinforces this, as Evolve is likely to be sensitive to single-thread performance given its 2015 release date.

However, at higher resolutions, the CPU’s performance becomes less relevant. The frame rate drops from 160 FPS at 1080p Low to 61 FPS at 4K Low, a decline that cannot be attributed to the CPU, which is running the same workload. This indicates that the GPU’s pixel and texture processing is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 14 cores and 24 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom for background tasks and future titles, but in Evolve, the GPU is the star of the show. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater performance gains than upgrading the CPU, especially for 1440p or 4K gaming.